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‘Do
you know the way to San Jose?'
By Brian David Goldberg, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley
I cannot begin to tell you how many people serenaded me with "Do
you Know the Way to San Jose?" when I announced my new position
as Executive Director for the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley. Clearly,
the answer is yes. As I hummed that tune for 15 hours as I drove from
Seattle, WA to San Jose it dawned on me that the real questions is "Do
you know why I chose to come to San Jose?"
I had been working as the Executive Director of the Anti-Defamation League,
and was very happy with my job. As anti-semitism grew in the United States,
I felt my job was important and relevant.
Yet something was telling me that I needed to be working, at a more basic
level, to strengthen and support the Jewish Community. In each geographical
region, the center of each Jewish community lies with the Jewish Federation.
The uniqueness of the Jewish Federation is that it is owned and operated
by the communities they serve. I wanted to be a part of that. And I wanted
to be a part of that in San Jose!
Not only do I want to give something back to the greater Jewish community,
which has given so much to me, but on a more selfish level, I want my
children to be able to benefit from a Jewish community in the same manner
that I benefited. Judaism is a communal religion. Our strength and survival
depend on a strong and vibrant community.
Serving as you Executive Director allows me the opportunity to strengthen
and grow an already wonderful, vibrant community here in San Jose. My
role, as I see it, is to help create the infrastructure to support, grow
and sustain our community for generations to come.
To do this, I am beginning by creating lines of communication with the
entire community. The goal of this column, which will appear every other
month, is to reach out to all of you. In addition, the Federation will
be launching a weekly e-newsletter to update the community about the work
of the Federation and our beneficiary agencies. The Federation is also
launching a new web site, which will truly be the central address for
Jewish Silicon Valley on the World Wide Web. Our mission is clear, the
need is great and the opportunity for your involvement is limitless.
I look forward to working with you and meeting as many members of our
community as possible. I welcome your comments and suggestions.
To reach Brian David Goldberg call (408) 358-3033, ext. 34 or via e-mail
bgoldberg@jewishsiliconvalley.org.
Contact Us
Our staff page includes phone numbers and email links to all staff people, and executive committee board members. Go.
Executive Director's Messages
Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley Executive Director Brian David Goldberg's letters to the community.
President's Message
A letter to the community from Brett "Mad Dog" Borah, President of the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley
About the Executive Director
Learn about the background of Brian David Goldberg, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley. More.